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Ask HN: How are you holding up?

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Re: Ask HN: How are you holding up?

#51
I feel a touch of shame considering the tenor of this thread, but amazing. I just said to my wife I don’t want to go back. And I have a pretty spacious private office.

We had our first child on Halloween and we both had only returned to work for a month before being forced to wfh. We both still are. It’s great watching my son every day grow. My wife’s job leaves her twiddling her thumbs a lot so she gets to spend a lot of time with our son. She does not understand the amount of focus necessary for my job as a SE. but we have never been happier and more sleep deprived.

I could imagine if we were out of work or had older children I’d be singing a different tune.

Re: Ask HN: How are you holding up?

#54
Watching Starship on NASASpaceFlight getting built bit by bit everyday actually really helps.

Joking aside, I've been working from home with my wife for years but not being able to plan or have any holidays has been the biggest problem for us. I know, I know, 1st world problems and all but still feels crap. From a different perspective though, this situation gave us more opportunities to find our more about ourselves and our partners.

Re: Ask HN: How are you holding up?

#55
Well. Okay, I think. Thanks for asking. My partner and I were fortunate enough to switch to full remote work right as the pandemic started in NYC early March. We were even more fortunate to have a family's 2nd home upstate to flee to for some fresh air and space.

Work has been manageable. As some mentioned, definitely a lot more hectic dealing with varying WFH personalities across the organization. Not every day is a productive day but it doesn't feel too far off pre-pandemic productivity levels (including all the time lost in commutes/meetings/etc.

Personally, my partner and I have had some challenges: -Cancelled and postponed our wedding to 2021 -Nearly lost a family member to COVID -Lost 2 grandparents to non-COVID related illness But ultimately, spirits are better than expected. Our biggest challenge now is deciding whether to re-sign our lease in NYC and start spending more meaningful time there this fall. To be honest, I can't see the COVID risk being all too much different there vs. other parts of the tri-state and major populated areas. I think it might come down to how much is open and what sort of quality of life that provides outside of our small, but not unmanageable, apartment.

Re: Ask HN: How are you holding up?

#56
post #16

Really badly, but could be worse. I am entirely sure that I have moderate-serious depression since the lock down started. I rely entirely on external structure and physical separation of spaces to keep myself sane. So WFH has been disastrous for me. I have been eating worse, not working out, stopped pursuing hobbies/side projects and have been incredibly unproductive at work. Thankfully, a year of good results prior…

It never ceases to amaze me how different people are. For me, all effects have been the exact opposite. Less going out, so more cooking and healthier eating. Less tired from open office noise, so more energy for sports. More free time without commute, so I picked up some long forgotten hobbies again.

This means my advice might not apply to you, but if I may still recommend one thing: ignore most of the news for a while. The sensationalism can get infectious. There won't be anything deserving of the name war in your country (the US, I assume).

Re: Ask HN: How are you holding up?

#57
post #51

I feel a touch of shame considering the tenor of this thread, but amazing. I just said to my wife I don’t want to go back. And I have a pretty spacious private office. We had our first child on Halloween and we both had only returned to work for a month before being forced to wfh. We both still are. It’s great watching my son every day grow. My wife’s job leaves her twiddling her thumbs a lot so she gets to spend a l…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: How are you holding up?

#60
post #14

I'm doing well. Ironically I think I'm doing better now than I would have been if the pandemic didn't happen; but still not in a particularly good position. Optimistic, though! If you're struggling, it's probably because the systems that you put in place at the start of the pandemic have broken down. (Kinda like how we eventually forget/give up on New Years Resolutions...) I'd recommend these[1] two[2] videos from CG…

If you have room for all those spaces in your house, you’re extremely luck. I work, sleep, and exercise in the same room. I’m not unusual in that respect.

Hence why I said house/space. I currently live in a single (small) room, too.

Every room has four walls.

My room is dedicated like this:

Northern wall: Desk with laptop. Go here for work/creativity.

Southern wall: My bed is here. Sleep only.

Eastern wall: My worktop is here for cooking.

Western wall: I drag my chair over here when I want to read or watch something.

Floor in the middle: Exercises.

You don't need to have a lot of space to make dedicated spaces. It's more of a mental thing.

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